Sports complex

at White Hill Field

Last month the then Sports Minister, El James, vowed that a multi-purpose sports complex would finally be developed at White Hill Field as part of long-standing plans to transform the West End facility into a first-class venue able to host one-day international cricket.

He refused to be drawn on the cost and completion date of the ambitious project and admitted much would depend on the amount of cash available in Government's coffers.

James said some of the outlay, thought to be in the region of a few million dollars, could be clawed back from the Bermuda Football Association (BFA) and Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) annual Government grants.

"It makes no sense to develop our young athletes and coaches if our facilities are not up to standard," he said. "The idea is to develop as many top facilities on the Island as possible."

Mini-centre of excellence –at Cooper's Island

Bermuda Football Association (BFA) had backed a Government proposal last month to transform the former US military base on Cooper's Island into mini-centres of excellence and hostels capable of accommodating incoming and local athletes.

James had not divulged specific details of the proposed development but peaked the interest of the BFA who met with the Minister to discuss the association's revised strategic plan.

During a recent meeting with a BFA delegation James advised that his Ministry was "considering a number of initiatives for Cooper's Island, which would benefit both the national sports of cricket and football".

50-metre swimming pool –at National Sports Centre

In a recent interview James said the only thing lacking in Bermuda's "sports arsenal" was a long-awaited 50-metre swimming pool.

James said: "We have a few 25 metre pools on the island right now, but if you're going to have any international meets, the requirement is a 50-metre pool.

"The only thing we don't have in our sports arsenal is a 50-metre pool. That's the one area where we cannot host an international game. We'll then have the cricket, the football, the diving, the track, the hockey. That's quite a list of sports."

At a sports conference held at Elbow Beach in February James promised that the –$15-$20 million facility would be built sooner rather than later and was looking for an –18-month construction period.

A press conference James had called to unveil fresh plans for the pool on Monday, but was postponed just hours before it was due to start.